Making mural magic in downtown Augusta

Longtime residents of Richmond County and visitors to downtown Augusta can experience a new splash of color this year with the recent addition of an Augusta University-inspired mural located on the corner of Reynolds and 11th streets.

For the past several months, approximately 40 faculty, staff and students from Augusta University have designed and painted the new mural that not only celebrates downtown Augusta but also unites the university to the entire community.

Cyndy Epps, a lecturer of painting and drawing classes in the Department of Art and Design, was teaching a mural class last summer when she was approached by members of AU’s Communications and Marketing team about potentially painting a mural downtown.

“I thought it was a great idea because I feel like it builds on that relationship between our students and downtown Augusta,” Epps said, standing in front of the recently completed mural located on the side of Laziza Catering’s building on 1030 Reynolds St. “I love that it’s right across the street from the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center. We’ve had several students stop and say how much they appreciate the mural. It creates a sense of ownership.”

“I also love the fact that, during Augusta University’s commencement which takes place downtown, many of our students park in the parking lot that is right across the street from this mural,” Epps added. “I know several students have talked about taking pictures in front of the mural on graduation day. It will be nice to have a place that says ‘Augusta University’ that is so convenient for this.”

Come ‘Mingle at the Mural’

Communications and Marketing will be hosting “Mingle at the Mural,” on Monday, March 18 from noon until 1:30 p.m. at 1030 Reynolds St. to celebrate the new mural. Laziza will be generously providing free food such as chicken wings, baklava, feta fries, hummus and pita chips to the first 100 people who arrive at the celebration.

Alison Rohdy, brand strategist and trademark and licensing coordinator for AU’s Communications and Marketing, said this isn’t the first time the art department has made its mark on downtown Augusta.

In spring of 2022, the Department of Art and Design in Pamplin College of Arts Humanities, and Social Sciences finished a large outdoor mural for the Draft Society Taproom courtyard area in downtown Augusta.

“We wanted to try to keep up that relationship and offer one mural every couple of years,” Rohdy said. “We found a local business owner very interested in supporting outdoor art. That business owner is Rafy Bassali.”

“We’ve had several students stop and say how much they appreciate the mural. It creates a sense of ownership.”

Cyndy Epps, a lecturer of painting and drawing classes in the Department of Art and Design

Bassali, an Augusta University alumnus and owner of local boutiques The Swank Company and Posh Tots, along with outdoor gear store Escape Outdoors, owns more than 30 properties in the Augusta area.

“He offered up three locations. The Laziza Catering building was the most appealing to us,” Rohdy said. “So, we got permission from Rafy and the tenant Nader Khatib, owner of Laziza, and started working with the art department on the art for the mural.”

Rohdy along with Taylor Lamb, the director of Marketing and Creative Services at AU, met with members of Epps’ mural class last year to discuss potential ideas for the mural.

“Our marketing team reviewed the art and chose a winning design,” Rohdy said. “We tweaked it some to get to the final art that is up on the building. The art was a collaboration between our team’s ideas, an art student named Emily Radulescu and one of our new graphic design professors, Henrique Nardi de Azevedo. So, it was a collaborative effort.”

Radulescu, a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Department of Art and Design, came up with the initial design for the new downtown mural which incorporated several elements of the Summerville Campus such as the arched gateway and fountain along Walton Way, but also the downtown fountain by the Augusta Riverwalk, regional flowers such as magnolias, dogwoods and azaleas and AU’s mascot, Augustus.

“This mural was intended to be more of a nod to Augusta University and a celebration of downtown Augusta,” Radulescu said. “I designed it to look like a virtual postcard. That was the inspiration for the mural.”

For more than three weeks, dozens of students, faculty and staff stopped by Reynolds Street to help paint the mural, Epps said.

“We’ve had almost 40 people who have been involved,” she said. “It’s been fun because some of them are art students, but some are not, and it has helped build a camaraderie. We’ve had some cyber students walk by and decide they want to paint. And we’ve had several folks from Communications and Marketing, especially Laura Evans and Martyn Turner, who have contributed a lot of time and effort to the project. It’s been exciting to get students, faculty and staff from across campus to participate. I feel like it builds on that relationship between our students and downtown Augusta while creating a sense of pride that will last for years.

“The mural is so bright and colorful, when you turn that corner and start coming up Reynolds Street, it’s just right there. You can’t miss it,” Epps added. “We’re so excited to see it finally finished, and so many people already taking pictures and posting them to social media.”

“This mural was intended to be more of a nod to Augusta University and a celebration of downtown Augusta.”

Emily Radulescu, a senior in the Department of Art and Design

Lamb said he is beyond excited about the final product produced by students, faculty and staff of Augusta University.

“The university and the city are already so connected, and this public art piece is just another visual representation of our collaboration,” Lamb said. “I’ve always wanted to do a wall mural downtown, and I am so proud to see it completed and thankful to our leadership for trusting our vision.”

Students and alumni making their mark

Sophia Byne, a third-year art major with a focus in graphic design, said she wanted to help paint the mural because it is something she has never done before.

“I have taken many classes with Professor Epps, and I love everything she does, so when I got a message asking if I was interested in coming out and helping with a mural, of course, I said, ‘Yes, I would love to,’” Byne said, smiling. “I think it’s great to have something alluding to Augusta University in the downtown area. We have so many students in the area and people don’t realize how big AU really is, so I think it’s nice to have a little nod to us.”

Amy Crawford, a post baccalaureate student at Augusta University and an art teacher at Cross Creek High School in Richmond County, also jumped at the chance to help paint the mural.

“I think it’s great exposure for Augusta University,” Crawford said. “We get a lot of visitors here during Masters Week who will see this, people who may not know about our university. So, I think it’s great exposure for AU, and I love seeing students involved in creating it.”

“I also love all the murals and art that’s coming to Augusta,” Crawford added. “Honestly, I feel like the scene is blowing up right now. It is definitely going in the right direction.”

“I think it’s great exposure for AU, and I love seeing students involved in creating it. I also love all the murals and art that’s coming to Augusta.”

Amy Crawford, a 2020 graduate of Augusta University and an art teacher at Cross Creek High School in Richmond County

Fran Kennedy, a second-year undergraduate student majoring in animation, said when she heard about the mural, she immediately wanted to be a part of the downtown project.

“I love all the murals downtown, so I wanted to contribute to the beautification of the city,” Kennedy said. “And I think it’s cool that I will be able to look at something like this and say, ‘I made this with my friends.’”

A legacy like no other

While it took several months to make the downtown mural a reality, Rohdy said the final product was well worth the wait.

“I think the mural downtown with a strong representation of the university will be a source of pride for our students,” she said. “Not only is the university dedicated to making their college experience special, but so is the city. There are many opportunities for students to live and work in Augusta after they graduate. I think having a mural is a way to strengthen the tie of the university to the city. I think students will feel that Augusta is committed to being a college town that strongly supports Jaguar Nation.”

Communication and Marketing also wanted to give Augusta University’s art students an opportunity to see their artwork come alive, Rohdy said.

“Giving art students a real-life opportunity to showcase their talents and art on a public level was always the goal,” she said. “We wanted to offer a unique experience that will help shape their artistic professions. Working on a project of this magnitude will be something they will remember forever. They will always be connected to the university and the city through this mural.”

“We love giving back and supporting the community that so generously supports us.”

Alison Rohdy, the brand strategist and trademark and licensing coordinator for Communications and Marketing at Augusta University.

And for non-art students who participated, the mural also gives them a sense of connection and ownership to the university and the city that is unmatched from any other experience on campus, Rohdy said. 

“I believe this will be a project that enhances the student experience and connects our campus to the city in a way that we’ve never seen before,” she said. “I can’t wait to see the students and community engage with the mural. It’s been a really fun project that will live in our city for years to come.”

Rohdy said she hopes to continue such collaborative projects in the future because it helps bring the entire community together.

“The mural is a unique way for the university to further weave its brand into the fabric of our community,” she said. “It is a project that shows AU’s commitment and dedication to the Augusta community and will strengthen its relationship to our students and campus as a whole. We love giving back and supporting the community that so generously supports us. We hope to create more unique ways to connect our students with the community in the future.”

Epps said downtown murals are not only welcoming to the community, but they are an effective tool to attract more people to the downtown area.

“We’re just really trying to communicate that ‘We are one Augusta,’” Epps said. “We’re both Augusta University and the city of Augusta, as well.”